Abstract

From the economic and industrial point of view, edible marine crustaceans consisting of shrimps,
lobsters are the most important constituents of the commercial fish landings in the country. Major portion
of the landings was exported in various product forms. Investigations on resources and biology of shrimps,
lobsters and other important crustaceans were initiated at the CMFRI in 1947 and since then, valuable data
had been collected. Information on catch and effort, composition of landings, species-wise details on age
and growth, food and feeding, maturation and spawning, migration and population characteristics for shrimps,
lobsters and crabs were collected from fish landing centers along the Indian coast. This voluminous database
has provided a strong foundation for assessment of edible crustacean stock, so as to suggest appropriate
regulatory measures for effective management of these resources. A comprehensive account on the fishery
and biological characteristics on edible crustaceans, and management options for their optimum exploitation
based on the research carried out by CMFRI is presented here.